riessner



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' E. P. RIESSNER.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. v No, 569,233. PatentedOot, 13, 1896.

WITNESSES: INVEN T0]? I B) flaw/14 m 92m TTOHNEYS.

m: wonms FETEF c0, PHQTCLLATHC, vvAsHlNGTON. u

(No Mode- 1.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. E. P. RIESSNER.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Patenteoi 0011(13, 1896.

% A TTOHNEYS.

WI Th'ESSES (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet a. 3

E. P RIBSSNER. MECHANICAL MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT.

Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

WWW mun munmulmmml l INVENTOB WITNESSES:

in; ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 4 sheets sheet 4. I E. P. RIBSSNER.

MEGHANIGAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Patented Oct 13 WITNESSES:

fl A TTUHNEYS.

UNITED, STATES ERNST PAUL RIESSNER,

PATENT '5?FFICE.

OF LEIPSIC, GERMANY.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,233, dated October 13, 1896.

Application filed July 28, 1896. fierial No. 600,201. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST PAUL RIESSNER, residing at Leipsic, W'ahren, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

In mechanical musical instruments heretofore made wherein separate note sheets or disks have been employed more or less difficulty has been found in replacing the note disks or sheets when it was desired to play a new tune. This difliculty has been found most annoying when the instruments were arranged to be automatically operated by a coin or otherwise, as is commonly found in public places. So great has this difficulty been that to avoid the liability of injury by those changing the disks who were unfamiliar with the construction of the instrument it has been found desirable to provide but one tune-disk for use in an instrument for a considerable length of time and thereby greatly depreciate the value of the interchangeablenotesheet feature of the instrument.

The object of my invention is to overcome this disadvantage heretofore found in me chanical musical instruments and to provide a mechanical musical instrument wherein separate note disks or sheets can be automatically placed in position to operate the instrument and withdrawn from such operative position.

To this end my invention consists in the combination, with a mechanical musical instrument, of means for automatically feeding the note disks or sheets to the instrument and in the novel arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention, briefly stated, may be said to comprise a mechanical musical instrument, means for automatically feeding separate note disks or sheets to and withdrawing them from operative position in the instrument, and means for determining which particular disk of those contained in the device maybe fed into operative position.

Figure 1 shows a front view of a mechanical musical instrument embodying my in- .vention with parts removed. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the parts represented in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side and fragmental top view of the driving mechanism. Fig. 5 is a fragment-a1 enlarged front view of details to be hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is a side view of the same.

In a casing A any suitable mechanical musical instrument is arranged, indicated in the present instance by music-combs a, operated by a series of star-wheels b, which star-wheels are operated by a note disk or sheet B in the usual manner. In the lower part of the casing is a movable note-sheetstoring receptacle C, which is preferably provided with separate compartments 0 for each note-sheet, the bottoms of these separate compartments being inclined, as indicated at 3 to afford a support for each sheet and so as to retain it in the center of the compartment. Each of the compartments also has an opening e in the bottom thereof for the passage of a plunger, which will be hereinafter described.

A pointer D, provided with a handle f, which projects outside of the casing, is carried upon a stud g, projecting from the inside of the casing, which stud also forms the pivot of the gear-Wheel h. This pointer traverses an index which bears names corresponding to the names of the tune-sheets in the instrument. The gear-wheel it engages with a rackrod 1', which is secured to the storing-receptacle O for the note-sheets. The rack-rod 2' has teeth 3' on its lower side, the distance between which corresponds to the spacing of the compartments of the storing-receptacle G. A spring-pressed pawl engages these teeth, so that as the pointer D is moved from one part of the index E to another the storingreceptacle C will be moved backward and forward a distance of one compartment to bring a note-disk directly over a plunger F, the pawl k tending to hold the storing-receptacle in the position into which it is moved.

I preferably arrange the operating means for transferring the note disks or sheets as a part of the driving mechanism for the musical instrument by providing the main wheel G of the driving mechanism of the instrument (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3) with cam-disks H I on opposite sides thereof. A pivoted lever J, provided with an antifriction-roller Z thereon, is arranged over the upper cam-disk ll, so that the roller I will bear thereon. A rope m fastened to the free end of this lever J and passes around the roller or drum n, which has a roller or drum 0 rigidly mounted on the same shaft therewith. To this roller 0 is secured one end of a rope p, which has its other end connected, as at q, to one of the sliding pieces to which is connected the crosshead K, that carries the plunger F. The weight of the plunger, cross'head, &c., tends to keep the friction-roller Z bearing upon the upper cam-disk II, as indicated in Fig. 1. \V hen the wheel G turns, the lever J, following the upper cam-disk II, will rise and fall and will lift the plunger F, which will pass through the opening e in the bottom of one of the compartments 0 in the sheet-storing receptacle and raise the sheet B to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, the guides 1' operating to properly guide the notesheet to its position.

The disk-holder consists of a frame I which swings in bearings s. This frame L is provided with an arm 1, extending therefrom, upon the end of which is an antifriction-roller I If, that projects into the path of the cam disk I, as clearly shown in Fig. (5. A coiled spring 11 surrounds and is connected to a part of the frame L and tends to press the free on d of the frame away from the star-wheels b and maintain the friction-roller t in contact with the cam-disk I.

The movement of the frame L toward the star-wheels is limited by an abutment U, carried upon the bed-plate of the movement, and by a pivot m, which forms an abutment for one corner of the frame of the holder. This pivot 10, in addition to performing its function as an abutment for the holder, constitutes the pivot upon which the note disk or sheet 13 is caused to revolve by a drivingwheel :1". This pivot w is provided with a movable head in, which is normally pressed toward the outer end of the pivot by a coiled spring 20 for the purpose of removing the disk from the pivot when the pressure on the holder on the disk is relieved.

The several portions of the cam-disk II and I are shown in Fig. 4- and are in their order as follows: The inclined parts I to II of the cam ll (see Figs. 1, E3, and t) cause the note-sheet l to be raised to the position indicated in dotted lines by means of the .lever J and the rollers a and o and the plunger F, during which time the cam-disk I allows the frame of the holder to be held open or away from the note-disk, as shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 5. The parts II and III of the camdisk ll hold the note-sheet in this raised position while the cam-disk I causes the frame I) to be forced upon the note-disk to hold the same in operative position, this position of the frame L beingindieated in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The lever .l is now moved downward slightly by aid of the disk II in order to lower the plunger F sul'lieiently to allow the note sheet to move freely. The parts III to IV of both cam-disks are the operative faces during the time the piece is being played by the instrument. At IV the plunger F is caused to rise again, and from IV to 'V thetframc opened by the cam-disk I, and from. F to \"I the note-shcet I3 is lowered.

The operation of my device will, it is thought, be obvious from the foregoing dcseription, but will nevertheless be brielly described, it being understood that the main gear-wheel G- is so geared that it makes one revolution for each revolution of the tunedisk.

The pointer D is first turned to the name of the piece on the index that it is desired to play, which brings the corresponding notedisk over the plunger F. The driving mechanism is next released by inserting a coin into the instrument or otherwise. As the driving mechanism. begins to run, the cann disk II raises the disk by means of the plunger F to the operative position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the cam-disk I having in the meantime allowed the note-sheet holder to be forced away from the star-wheels, as in dieated in full lines in Fig. (i. A further rotation of the gear-wheel G and the cam-disks connected therewith causes the note'sheet holder to bear upon the note-sheet and forces it upon the pivot 10 against the pressure of the spring-pressed head n, the apertures near the edge of the sheet being at the same time brought into engagement with the driving-wheel The sheet is retained in oper ative position in this manner during a single rotation thereof. When the disk has been rotated to play the tune, the eanrdisk I will again release the notesheet holder and the disk will pass into the note-sheet receptacle, being guided by the guides r.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination of a musical instrument, separate tuneshects for operating the same and means for conveying said sheets to operative position in the musical instrument.

2. The combination of a musical instrument, separate tune-sheets for operating the same and means for automatically conveying said sheets to and from operative position in the musical instrument.

The combination of a musical instru-- ment, separate tune-sheets for operating the same, means for automatically conveying said sheets to and from operative position in the musical instrument and means for holding the note-sheet while in operative position and for automatically releasing said sheet after the tune has been played thereby.

al The combination of a musical instrument, separate tune-sheets for operating the same, means for automatically eonveyingsaid sheets to and from operative position in the musical instrument, and means for automatically engaging and holding the note-sheet while in the operative position and for automatically releasing said sheet after the tune has been played thereby.

5. The combination of a mechanical musical instrument, separate tune-sheets for operating the same, means for automatically conveying said sheets to and from operative position in the musical instrument and means for selecting any of they sheets for conveyance to operative position in a musical instrument.

6. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination of a pivot for a rotating disk, a movable spring-pressed head upon said pivot and means for holding a disk in place on the pivot against the pressure of the springpressed head.

7. The combination of a musical-note-sheet receptacle having separate compartments for each sheet, a pointer, an index cooperating therewith, intermediate mechanism between said pointer and movable note-sheet receptacle whereby a movement of the pointer from one indication on the index to another will cause a corresponding movement of the note-sheet receptacle to bring the note-sheet designated by the pointer to a certain point for removal from the receptacle.

8. The combination with a musical instrument and driving mechanism for operating the same, of a plunger for conveying notesheets to operative position in the musical instrument and intermediate mechanism between said driving mechanism and the plunger whereby an operation of the musical instrument will cause a movement of the plunger.

9. The combination with a musical instrument and driving mechanism for operating the same, of a note-sheet receptacle, a plunger adapted to operate in said note-sheet receptacle for conveying note-sheets in operative position in the musical instrument and intermediate mechanism between said driving mechanism and the plunger whereby an operation of the musical instrument will cause a movement of the plunger.

10. The combination with a musical instrument and driving mechanism for operating the same, of a movable note'sheet receptacle, a plunger adapted to operate in said notesheet receptacle for conveying note-sheets to operative position in the musical instrument, means for moving the note-sheet receptacle so that one of the note-sheets therein may be brought into the path of the plunger and intermediate mechanism between said driving mechanism and the plunger whereby an operation of the musical instrument Will cause a movement of the plunger.

11. The combination with a musical instrument, and driving mechanism for operating the same, a movable note-sheet receptacle, a plunger adapted to operate in said note-sheet receptacle for conveying note-sheets to operative position in the musical instrument, means for moving the note-sheet receptacle so that one 01": the note-sheets therein may be brought into the path of the plunger, intermediate mechanism between said driving mechanism and the plunger and means connected with and operated by the driving mechanism for retaining the note-sheet in operative position during the playing of the instrument and for releasing said sheet after the tune has been played.

12. The combination with a musical instrument, of a movable note-sheet receptacle, a plunger adapted to operate in said note-sheet receptacle for conveying note-sheets to operative position in the musical instrument, camdisks and means for operating said cam-disks, a lever operated by one of said cam-disks and connections between the said lever and the plunger, a sheet-holder and connections between said sheet-holder and the other camdisk, whereby a rotation of said cam-disks will cause a note-sheet tobe fed into operative position in the musical instrument and the sheet-holder to bear upon the note-sheet after it has been so fed and retain it in this position during a revolution thereof.

ERNST PAUL RIESSNER.

\Vitnesses:

RUDOLPH FRICKE, Orro DOEDERLEIN. 

